VIDEO: Danbury firefighters training on Kenosia Avenue

DANBURY - Firefighters in Danbury tackled the harsh reality of their jobs Wednesday while training in a condemned building on Kenosia Avenue.

The 24 firefighters were training to find and help a fallen colleague in a burning building scenario. Although the building wasn't burning in Wednesday's training session, the scenario duplicates real situations firefighters have faced in the past.

Ed Burwell, a New York Fire Department lieutenant and an adjunct instructor with the Connecticut Fire Academy, was taking firefighters through a scenario where a firefighter was stuck in the basement of a building, and other firefighters a floor above were offering help.

Burwell said with no other equipment in hand, a firefighter can slide down a hose to help the stricken firefighter. With two firefighters now in the basement, other firefighters on the floor above can use the same hose to then pull them both to safety.

Danbury Firefighter and training officer Mark Omasta said the training is part of federal requirements that say for every two firefighters who enter a burning building, two more firefighters must be waiting outside to help as a RIT or Rapid Intervention Team.

"The unexpected seems to happen," Omasta said, and that could be a ceiling falling down, a floor collapsing, wires or pipes tangling a firefighter. A person can get disoriented or lost in the smoke.

Today's Top Insider StoriesOur journalists provide in-depth analysis and reporting about the people, places and issues that matter most to you. Subscribers get access to all of their comprehensive coverage.Stories from Insider